LeBron James opts for high road against Charles Barkley

HURLBURT FIELD — LeBron James plays for a new team, lives in a new city and now is viewed differently in the eyes of some fans.

Through all the change, one thing remains constant in James. He still tends to ignore rather than respond to criticism.

After completing his first training camp with the Heat, James was given every opportunity to fire back at his recent critics. James chose to pass.

"You can't stop what people say about you or don't say about you," James said. "As an individual, I've got my family to take care of, I've got these guys [teammates] to represent everyday in this organization and that's all I worry about."

James would rather look forward to the Heat's preseason opener Tuesday against Detroit instead of back at the critics who resurfaced last week.

After James said in an interview with CNN that he felt race played a factor in the public's reaction to his free agency, NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley called him "stupid." Also, Cleveland Cavs owner Dan Gilbert released a tweet that appeared as a subliminal shot at James.

James insists there was never any beef with Barkley in the past, and has refused to respond to Gilbert since choosing to leave Cleveland in July. When the subject was revisited Saturday, James said he rarely is negative when asked about anyone in NBA circles.

"Have you ever seen me downplay anybody?" James said.

"Anytime somebody asks about me or asks me about future Hall of Famers, future players, guys in the game, all I do is praise guys because I want everybody to get better. We're all in this together. When you ask a question about LeBron, it's always the other side."

The mild reaction should come as no surprise. James has often avoided fighting in the media. In 2008, DeShawn Stevenson called James "overrated" after the Wizards beat the Cavs. When told of the comment, James took it as a joke and said, "It doesn't make sense to respond."

Ignoring off-the-court issues should help James keep focus on making the Heat a title contender. By teaming with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the Heat are considered the favorite in the Eastern Conference. Wade said James' presence has already made a difference.

"He pushes me to get better," Wade said. "It's just a change of atmosphere, a guy who every day is going to come out and pose his will on the practice [court]. You don't get that too often."

James called this perhaps the best of his eight NBA training camps. He's grown familiar with new teammates, and experienced no problems with the elbow injury that slowed him during last year's playoffs.

The only thing left, he says, is for the Heat to continue growing as a team.

"For the most part, we came in with an open mind and just trying to learn the system," James said.

"I knew it was going to be a different system, but it's been great. Overall, this is probably one of the best training camps I've had, if not the best."